


A Fool Moon Night

by Makowo



Series: Dangansona [1]
Category: Dangan Ronpa - All Media Types, Dangan Ronpa: Trigger Happy Havoc, Persona Series
Genre: Alternate Universe - Personas, Angst, Gen, Internal Conflict, Like Shadow Makoto Kinda Shoots Himself if That Counts, Mild Gore, No Spoilers, Suicidal Thoughts, Supernatural Elements, Violence, unless you count the prologue as spoilers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-03-30
Updated: 2019-05-05
Packaged: 2019-12-27 01:25:37
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,473
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18294029
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Makowo/pseuds/Makowo
Summary: Makoto shouldn’t have looked.“I’m you, you’re me.”





	1. Refract

**Author's Note:**

> This is a basic idea of Makoto’s awakening. Since we haven’t settled on creating a design for Makoto’s Persona yet, the one I might use here will NOT be official unless stated otherwise, along with the rest of this fic. Just wanna give an example of a Shadow, and what better than Makoto’s?

Makoto could feel that something was wrong. The blackout, the announcement, the mysterious door guarded by actual guns. He may be more tame than the Ultimate students around him, comparable to a common tabby kitten wandering with a pride of prized albino lions. He may be average in almost every way possible, but he is no fool that goes into denial at every bad event. Certainly wasn’t blind to the fact that things were very clearly _wrong._

 

And oh how right he was, when a small monochrome bear had told them just a week before that they are in a game of life or death. Sacrifice a life, and you may have freedom from this hellish prison. It doesn’t feel quite as simple as that, but it didn’t matter to Naegi. After all, who would kill another human being? It’s just not okay!

 

“Hey!” The grating voice of Monokuma snapped Makoto from his daydreaming. “Are you guys even listening?” The chorus of absolute silence sent the bear into a frenzy, the two-sided robot (somehow) getting red-faced in its anger. “GRAAAH! HOW ABSOLUTELY ANNOYING! BEING IGNORED BY MY OWN STUDENTS, AND WITHOUT A SINGLE MURDER AT THAT!!! MAYBE THIS DESERVES A PUNISHMENT...” It suddenly calms, holding its paws to its belly with a... blush? How can robots even have blushes? “Yeah, that seems like some good fun.”

 

“I got whiplash from how fast his mood changed!” Yasuhiro yelps, voice going completely ignored by everyone present.

 

The bear chuckles a bit, then goes into full laughter, metal teeth gnashing with glee. “Yeah! You guys need to be taught a lesson don’tcha? Can’t let it get too boring for my _wonderful_  viewers out there!” It blows a kiss up at some of the cameras, and Naegi thinks for a moment he’s going insane at the sight of actual hearts floating out from its paws.

 

“Welp, lets get on with that then.” Monokuma plops limply onto the podium, pressing a large red button that Naegi certainly knows wasn’t there before. A thin slit spanning the length of the gym appears just in front of the stage. The bleachers on the sides of the gym start to move without prompt, folding into holes in the wall and leaving the sidelines clear. The students gather together, readily facing whatever surprise may emerge from that thin slit...

 

But instead of a gun or anything remotely dangerous, a large mirror slides out. They watch closely as it touches the ceiling and completely blocks the gym’s stage from view. The students all study it for a few moments, the tensity of the room almost suffocating.

 

Makoto just can’t take it anymore. He separates from the shaking group, walking up to the glass. It so quiet, but everything’s so _loud_. Every click of his sneakers against the floor, every breath shuddered in silent terror. It’s a fear that slowly spreads through his body, waiting until he’s just in front of the wall to freeze him to his place. Was his heartbeat always this loud? Could whatever sadistic being leering at their captives hear his-no, their- fear?

 

Despite himself, the Lucky Student brings a shaky hand up, breaths becoming heavier at each centimeter forward. And as he feels his touch brush against the cold material, time seems to stop. Every event imaginable cause his death unfold themselves before him at once. Stabbed, strangled, bludgeoned, burnt alive, endless possibilities that could happen in just a few moments. Even as he steps back a moment the instinct to _run run run far away_ is near overwhelming, but fought down to simply turn to those behind. Watching, studying the boy that put his life on the line.

 

“It’s... it’s just a mirror...” Makoto barely speaks above a whisper, but his declaration rings clear.

 

And not a moment later does the group let the tense air melt into confusion. “Wh-what?!” Fukawa yells with a scowl. “W-we were soooo scared, an-and o-over a simple M-MIRROR?!”

 

“Quiet down, filth. Your screeching voice is bothersome.” Byakuya’s growl silences the girl, allowing the other students to take the floor.

 

Screams and wails of annoyance echo around the room, their reflections on the mirror’s innocent face copying their anger. “This is quite a bit over the top, don’t you agree?” Makoto’s skeleton practically jumped out of his skin at the sound of the Gambler’s voice. The girl laughs beside him, watching the chaos of the room unfold. “Truly, they cannot seem to contain their futile actions. Pig?” At the sound of “Pig” being called Hifumi scuttles up beside her, looking to the gothic lolita with a mildly disturbing look of desperation.

 

Celestia looks at the round teen with a mix of disdain and humor. “Make sure to keep these heathens away from me. I would hate to get my dress dirtied...”

 

The sniveling boy freezes up at her saddened expression, straightening up with a salute. “Y-yes ma’am! I won’t let a speck of dust touch your clothes!” The pair march off into a random corner by the door, avoiding the ruckus going on in the middle of the gym.

 

Naegi glances back at said ruckus, taking a quick tally of everyone. The scene itself seems to have calmed somewhat, Kyoko, Sakura, Chihiro, and Aoi standing to the sides with Celeste and Hifumi, either talking in hushed whispers or silently panicking at their current predicament. Kiyotaka, Junko, and Yasuhiro are arguing about something(likely something stupid, but Makoto wouldn’t dare say that aloud) while Toko stands a little ways between himself and Byakuya, watching the thin teen and the biker from afar. Leon comforts a bawling Sayaka, and Naegi can’t help the small pang of envy that stabs into his heart.

 

Speaking of the Heir and Biker Leader, the angered expressions of the two boys and Mondo’s clenched fist just scream for him to intervene before things escalate too far. “Hey guys, do you wanna maybe calm down? I don’t think we should be fighting right now...” His words fall on deaf ears as the two banter and insult each other more. “Um, guys?” He says a bit louder.

 

His attempts to interject end in vain. The short boy finds his patience wearing thin, marching back to the front of the room. Kirigiri’s stare seems to burn into his spine, watching the boy stand about three feet in front of the wall of glass. “YOU GUYS!” His yell seems to be a bit louder than expected, making everyone including its source jolt in surprise. “Ah, um, I don’t... think it’s quite a good time to be fighting like this, especially when we-“ The boy’s cut off by a scream, but no one turns to Sayaka, the source of the sound.

 

No, they stare at Naegi, with looks of horror and terror. “Wh-what?” Their lack of answer sends a chill down his spine. Even the mysterious girl clad in purple looks frightened. “What i-is i...” A laugh seems to echo in his mind, tearing any thoughts to shreds. He turns slow, the same fear from before come back tenfold. Each breath seems to hitch in his throat, air coming in and out with shuddered huffs. Each and every muscle _screams_ to run, go to the safety of the group and not dare look back. But curiosity is a fickle thing, and it overpowers all senses of preservation just to glimpse what everyone else fears.

 

Makoto shouldn’t have looked.

 

His own reflection stares, hot pink eyes and an innocent smile upon the doppleganger’s face as it holds a revolver to its head. Naegi can practically feel the cold metal of the gun’s barrel knock against his skull. “I’m you. You’re me.” His own voice, refracted and distorted rings in his ears as the trigger pulls back-


	2. Shatter

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> He wakes up, and then he wakes up.

A breeze gently brushes along the ground across an empty field. Night blankets the land in darkness, the only light being the full moon’s and the stars’. Green grass stretches on infinitely into the horizon, not a single flower or sign of life except for a tree grown over a small pond. 

 

Makoto stands in the midst of the moonlit clearing, staring up at the night sky with a look of indifference. He can’t tell how long he’s been standing there, mind empty of any thought or emotion. Just... existing here. Wherever _here_  is. Listening to nothing, bathing in the solace of the night’s silent welcoming.

 

But then it all snaps, a drop of water disturbing the stillness of the pond and riling the brunet from his numbing trance. He suddenly keels over, holding his hands to his chest and clutching the fabric, body shuddering with each breath as if he hasn’t taken one in hours. The leftover adrenaline from earlier dribbles away, and it feels like the minutes drag into hours until it leaves him completely.

 

A breeze starts to flow around him, his blazer and hoodie flowing in the soft wind. “Ah, finally.” Makoto whips around, being met with... himself? No, this one was the one in the mirror. Those eyes, they don't belong to him. Devoid of hazel, filled to the brim with bright, bright pink.

 

The doppelgänger stares with an empty gaze. “I’ve been waiting for a while. Don’t you know it’s rude to keep people waiting?” Each word drips off his tongue, venom in its purest form ringing clear behind every syllable pronounced. Intense hatred wafts off him like heat off a heater, wrapping around Naegi and poisoning the air he breathes.

 

Makoto takes a shaky step back. “Wh-what do you want?”

 

They smile, a vicious grin more fitting of a hyena than a human. They take a firm step towards him, leaning forward slightly in a way that terrifies him. “You know you won’t be able to save them, right?” Makoto’s breath hitches. Another step back, another step forward. “You’re just a normal boy. You can’t help them here.”

 

“N-no!” The Luckster steps forward, holding a hand to their chest with a determined stare.He's sure of what they're talking about, and even more sure it's all a lie. “We’ll all make it out! We won’t play this game!” Those words... they should be more empowering to himself, shouldn't they? Why do they feel like ash on his tongue? Why do they lack their usual resolve?

 

The other boy’s eyes seem to glow in the deepening darkness, shining like spotlights on a stage. "You know that isn’t true. You’re just a we _ak kid, unable to even defend himself._ ” It's voice changes mid-sentence to a loud hiss, their eyes watching its prey with sadistic glee. Makoto can’t bring himself to move anymore, only watch and listen while attempting to form some kind of retort to stop the being. It looms over him now, its million sharp teeth glistening, almost reflecting Makoto's fearful face. _"_ _You can’t save your friends.”_ The breeze picks up now, making both their clothes billow around in the building whirlwind.

 

It circles closer to Naegi, standing just behind him and breathing down his neck.  _”You’r_ **e useless. your family’s dead, and you couldn’t even save them. can barely even save yourself.”** The growl of its voice- _his_ voice- chokes him, ties his stomach in a hundred tiny knots and sticks to his throat like old syrup. It feels as if he's saying these things, laughing to himself instead of the cracked reflection so close to him.

 

The teen coughs, spitting up a pitch black bile that disappears after a few moments like an illusion. “N... no... they are-n’t...” Makoto shudders out a sob, every inch of his body trembling with boundless terror. The world swirls, noisy wind howling in his ears and riling up dark clouds that cover the sky. His eyes burn with white-hot tears that stream freely down his face. Maybe... maybe he... _is_ useless. Maybe, no matter how hard he tries, he won’t be able to save them all. Won’t be able to save his friends, family, all the innocents that deserve to live through this hell.

 

“But-" The world stutters for a moment, like a broken cd player. "But does it matter?” The winds still howl loud and blow strong, but they suddenly feel more welcoming. Calmer, in some sense. “Does it matter that I’m normal? It wouldn’t prevent me from trying, at least.”

 

**”Of course. you’re just a boy. how do you think you could dare to talk to an ultimate? They care not for the opinions of the norma-“** “No. That isn’t true.” Makoto turns around, coming face-to-face with the reflection, a calm determination spreading along his nerves with each passing second. “I spent time with them, and it’s clear they care about my opinion in this.” Their expression turns blank, but for a single moment he can catch the sliver of fear in its gaze.

 

He smiles. That’s all he needs to unravel this mess of a monster, after all.

 

The boy brings a hand to his chest. “You’re trying to hurt me by poking at my worst fears. My deepest regrets and nightmares.” They blink slowly, blood pink slowly bleeding away into another color. “But it’s all hypotheticals, isn’t it?” A step forward, a step back. Their roles become reversed, the once terrified now determined and the predator becoming the prey. “All you can do is throw my thoughts back at me.” Makoto laughs, watching the silent reflection with a triumphant grin as the winds quell to wisps of a breeze. “You can’t actually hurt me!”

 

The double simply looks at the ground, eyes shadowed. It takes a moment for Naegi to realize the Moon had somehow waned over that time, just a single sliver hanging in the empty sky. Before he can dwell on it however, the other boy looks up, gaze leveling with his own.

 

It doesn’t do anything this time, just gives a happy chuckle. “Well, looks like you’re at least stable enough for this then, huh?” It dons a mischievous smile, eyes glimmering a blazing forest green.

 

Naegi tilts his head in confusion. “What do you-“ The next moment he’s falling into the abyss of the pond, staring up at the crescent moon until it too disappears into the darkness. Water fills his lungs, consciousness leaving him just as quickly as it had once come.

 

**"I'm you, you're me."**

* * *

**** It's loud. So, so loud, yet also quiet.

 

Makoto wakes up. No, snaps awake more like. As if he were returning from a night terror.

 

He's met with an unnatural sight. Something straight out of a child's nightmare.

 

A monster towers above the group of trembling students, its skin as dark as a shadow and its eyes filled with the most malicious gleam of green. Its head is akin to a dragon's, possessing a long muzzle with large, familiarly shaped horns on the sides of its head. The body is coiled back as if it were trying to fit in an uncomfortably small space, allowing Makoto to glimpse the large dual lines of spikes flanking its spine and ending at the tip of its immensely long tail.

 

As if Naegi's stare were the trigger, it recoils slightly from its hungry staring. The beast bares its teeth with a growl that rolls like thunder from its chest. Wings-large, tattered limbs that could easily blot out the sun-fold from its haunches, spreading out in a defensive gesture. This move is accompanied by an intensified glare and the sounds of the floor cracking as large, sharp claws sink into the ground. It's enough to even make the mysterious girl standing defensively in front of his limp body tense up with fear.

 

Yet, Makoto doesn't feel scared.

 

He slowly lifts himself from the floor, using the wall to lean his weight against. His bones creak in defiance, but it's not long before he's able to stand on his own. This manages to attract the attention of those not already paralyzed in fear, including the monster itself. Kyoko's stare is electrifying, sending sparks through his nerves and screaming one command. "Stand down, it isn't safe."

 

And oh how Makoto  _relishes_   the look on her face as he walks past her, disregarding any signs of danger.

 

He can easily notice how fearful everyone is. So paralyzed all they can do is watch as the most basic, most normal, most  _average_   of them moves forward without a care in the world. They very slightly make way as he walks, skittering the tiniest bit to the side and letting him have a clear path to face the being that threatens them all.

 

The Lucky Student stops just a few feet in front of the huddled students, staring down and away from the hulking monstrosity before him. The being sinks its claws deeper into the ground, flexing them in and out as its growl grows louder. For a few moments the gym is completely still, but the monster is impatient. It barks, shooting its head down to lie a mere foot away from the person that defies it. The humans are convinced. Naegi Makoto is about to die, and they'll be forced to watch until they too join him within its teeth-filled jaws.

 

Then he looks up. And no one can see his face, but by the beast's reaction, it must be something that much more terrifying than what they were originally facing.

 

The next moments are appalling. One moment, the monster's teeth are bared, eyes filled with killing intent. The next, it's whining and hissing as Makoto takes slow strides towards it. It leaves long scores in the wood floor, ones that Naegi simply passes by as he nears the thing's chest.

 

In one final act of intimidation it slams its front paws down on each side of the boy, a large fin-like appendage emerging from its spine and trembling as it roars. The sound alone is enough to shake the ground and likely the entire building, though the mirror and Makoto are the only things that appear unfazed by the tremors of the school. The shadowy animal's eyes flicker orange, before a flame begins to visibly build in its mouth. With this trajectory, everything in its range was bound to perish instantly. Some look back, too terrified to watch their impending doom build, others look on with shock written on their faces, obviously still stuck on Makoto's unexpected bravery.

 

And then all at once, an immense flame shoots from its maw, covering half the distance of the room in a millisecond. Just one more millisecond, and they'll all be gone. Disappear as a plume of ash

 

So they recoil, and they wait.

 

And wait.

 

And wait.

 

Nothing. Not even heat licking at skin. Not the crackle of flame as it burns up whatever it touches.

 

No, the flames are  _parting_ . Evaporating into thin air before they can reach out towards those at the back of the gym. The person standing at the center of the fold looks on, unfazed by the fire. In fact, he even begins to turn, his front shadowed by the immense well of fire pouring out around him.

 

All at once, the flames stop. In its wake lies no destruction, no wails of pain, no sparking. Only the huffing of the monster and the smoke surrounding it.

 

And as the smoke clears, they still are met with Naegi Makoto. Completely untouched. Completely unharmed. Eyes closed, face blank. It almost appeared as if he was deep in sleep. The boy slowly raises up his right hand, almost painfully slow.

 

Any ideas of sleepwalking is thrown out the window before they're even formed by his eyes suddenly snapping open. With a deranged grin, he snaps his fingers.

 

Wind suddenly whips around the room, billowing at such high speeds Kyoko could find herself slipping a bit on her feet. She falls to a crouch against the floor, covering her face with one arm and taking to gazing around the room. The others are in a similar state as her, some letting out loud shouts as they're suddenly tossed to the ground. She spares a glance to the boy in front of them, looking for some explanation-

 

In a mere few seconds it's over. The wind disappears, and with it the monster. But the evidence it was there now lies scattered across the floor, smeared in a messy mound of pitch black gore. And at the center of the mess stands Naegi Makoto. Eyes gleaming pink and still wearing a bright grin, he looks back at the wall-to-wall mirror.

 

"Caerus..." Makoto's voice is a whisper, but the word is still caught by some. Something flickers in the reflection, something three times larger than him, with wispy eyes of bright neon green and a set of familiar-looking horns on its head. In another moment, it disappears, and with the crack of the mirror, so too does Makoto's consciousness.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hehe wow holy fuck. This took forever, eh? Made half of in one night and the other like weeks ago, so I hope there aren't too many mistakes.

**Author's Note:**

> I’m guessing you might be confused as to why Makoto’s shadow also appears in Test & Recognize. Makoto will, of course, defeat this one with relative ease. The other? Not so much.
> 
> Edit: The second chapter is gonna take a little while longer than I thought, but I hope to have it done by the end of the week.


End file.
